THE ART OF HARRIET MYFANWY NIA TAHANY
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Playground Mural at Kildare Village
Spray Paint on Wall
Harriet Myfanwy Nia Tahany
Artist, mother, lover, dreamer, mind traveller and believer in the infinite possibilities that life is.
I am originally from Swansea in South Wales and spent most of my childhood living in the South East urban environment of inner city London. My family, being of Irish descent, moved to the stunning rural countryside of Co. Leitrim, Ireland, when I was sixteen. I still live here today and now have my own beautiful family: my husband and two sons. I studied Fine Art at Sligo IT and went on to Graduate with a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) at the University of Ulster in Belfast.
My artwork is multidisciplinary created with charcoal, oils, acrylics, spray paints, resins and many different combinations through mixed media works. Creating art is a very integral part of me, I am very passionate about the journey of self discovery through making art, the work is somewhat personal beneath the formal explored themes, ideas and inspirations they contain. The artwork becomes an energy container that acts as a personal archive of memory, a recording of some emotive expression of me when the work was new; it is through art I reflect and gain knowledge about myself.
My exhibition and more thematic work is mainly narrative based artworks, always featuring distinctive big eyed feminine characters. Much of my work has been an ongoing exploration of themes inspired by fairy tales, folk-law, nursery rhymes, mythology and the metaphysical realms of non-linear narratives these stories occupy.
I grew up with such stories, fantasy genres where animals could talk and magic is real. These stories provided an ongoing source of inspiration and exploration for me. Isn’t there is something captivating about the way a narrative stays with us, transporting us to another world full of wonder and adventure. They challenge us to make sense of these other worlds and stimulate our imagination to steer a way through them. By exploring these characters, we find ourselves in their places, discovering metaphors and real-world wisdom. The stories act as transformational tools, their ideas behaving almost like memes, little mind viruses that take root in our imagination and stay with us, even after returning to the ‘real’ world.
Sometimes a little borrowed enchantment is all it takes to see something in a new light. The possibility of changing our experience by changing our minds.
My art, like my self, is ever evolving. I am always open to new projects and opportunities to learn and grow as an artist in everything I do.
- Harriet Myfanwy Nia Tahany
Ceannbhán Móna: the Bog Cotton Fairy 2026
Acrylic and spray-paint on canvas
Contact Harriet
Have a question, a comment, or an idea you'd like to discuss? I'm all ears!
Whether it's about an artwork, a commission, a mural, an exhibition or a collaboration, I'd be delighted to hear from you.
Just leave me a message using the form below and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.






A little feline mischief and a sparkling glass drop!
Inspired by Japanese Yōkai folklore, Cat Like Me is a curious creature who exists somewhere between the human and feline worlds.
In Japanese folklore, cats who live long enough may become supernatural beings. The Bakeneko can walk upright and take human form, while the Nekomata, older and wiser still, grows a second tail and possesses mysterious powers.
She might be one of them. Or something rarer still.
With her extravagant dress, enormous cascading hair and mischievous little curious cats peeking through her curls, Cat Like Me seems to have stepped out of another reality, where appearances are never quite what they seem.
Originally created as a detailed graphite drawing and later developed into a richly coloured illustration, this little character has now been transformed into a miniature wooden brooch.
Each pin is precision laser-cut from natural plywood, with the delicate lines of the original illustration engraved directly into the wood. The front is deliberately left uncoated, preserving the natural grain and tactile quality of the engraving.
A little heart-shaped cutout in her elaborate skirt holds a dangling, faceted iridescent glass drop charm, catching the light with flashes of shifting colour.
The reverse is finished with glittering resin, embedding the metal pin plate for added strength and features my engraved MyfanwyNia maker's mark. A rubber fastener keeps the brooch securely in place.
Presented on a specially designed Cat Like Me gingham backing card, this curious little treasure is ready to wear, collect or gift.
Perfect for decorating a favourite jacket, bag or hat, or for anyone who loves cats, Japanese folklore and beautifully strange handmade things.
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✦ Details
Original Cat Like Me illustration by MyfanwyNia
Natural 3 mm plywood
Intricate illustration laser-engraved directly into natural wood
Decorative precision-cut silhouette
Dimensions: Approximately 4.5 × 3.5 cm (45 × 35 mm), excluding dangling glass charm
Natural, uncoated front preserving the tactile quality of the engraving
Heart-shaped cutout in the skirt holding a dangling glass charm
Dangling faceted iridescent glass drop charm
Hand-applied glittering resin finish on the reverse
Metal pin plate embedded in resin for added strength
Rubber pin fastener
MyfanwyNia branding engraved on the reverse
Laser-cut, engraved, resin-finished and assembled in small batches in County Leitrim, Ireland
Presented on a specially designed Cat Like Me gingham backing card
Includes one wooden pin
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A Little Note
Each Cat Like Me pin has its own little personality. The natural wood grain and delicate laser engraving create subtle variations in tone and texture, making every piece slightly unique. The front is intentionally left uncoated, preserving the tactile quality of the engraved illustration, while the reverse is finished by hand in glittering resin. Tiny air bubbles may occasionally be visible beneath the resin's surface, adding to the individual character of these handmade treasures.
The faceted iridescent glass drop catches the light with shifting flashes of colour, adding a little sparkle to this curious feline shapeshifter.
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